Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/37509
live Live in the Moment with Kathryn Vaughn Putting the finishing touches on a work of art An unfinished painting is propped among the metallic powders, paintbrushes and dyes that crowd Kathryn Vaughn’s desk. After applying a few brisk strokes with her paintbrush, Vaughn leans back to give the canvas a long, hard stare. And with that, “Universal Language,” a piece two years in the making, is complete. It’s these final, satisfying touches that Vaughn, an artist, writer and radio host on Magic 98, says are her favorite part of any project. And though creating art has al- ways been a part of her life, it wasn’t until surviving a life-threatening bout with pneumonia that she decided to pursue painting. Since picking up a paintbrush 18 years ago, Vaughn hasn’t looked back. “I jumped into this like I was jumping out of a plane,” she says. “I wasn’t even [living] until I started painting.” The hobby evolved into the business— called Avalon Boulevard—she opened in 2003. Now in eight area galleries, Vaughn’s abstract artwork allows her to explore ob- jects that “don’t exist in this world” or concepts she feels need recognition. That is how blue-hued roses and the plight to create lasting peace between multiple re- ligions, a concept examined in “Universal Language,” find their way into her works. Beyond the canvas, her art has also given Vaughn an avenue to discover more about a subject closer to home: herself. “One of the inspiring things about art is that…it’s [about finding] the ‘me’ I didn’t get to yet.” —Kailey Bender “ ” I wasn’t even [living] until I started painting. July 2011 bravamagazine.com 11 Photo by Shanna Wolf